The History of Cookies

Crispy or soft, sweet and delicious, almost everyone around the world loves cookies. These tiny treats take many forms and names across the world, ranging from the crispy "biscuits" of England, to the almost cake-like goodness found in America. Chocolate chip cookies are even under consideration as the official cookie for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! Cookies are usually fairly simple and made up of things you probably have on hand. Often early cookies were flavored with almond or other kinds of nuts, bits of fruit or exotic spices such as cinnamon and other spices that came from the Orient and Middle East.

Cookies share a common history with the hard biscuits soldiers carried into battle. Hardtack, zweibeck, sea biscuits and biscotti are just a few names crunchy, hard cookies are known by. Cookies of this type often last for months, which is the reason they were chosen as soldier's rations in the days before preservatives and plastic wrap. Often they were not especially sweet and twice baked in order to achieve their distinctive crunch. At their worst, these kinds of pastry are best eaten crumbled and soaked in water or milk, and at their best they are the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of Italian coffee. The kinds carried by soldiers were frequently little more than flour and water - very much like a cracker!

It is believed that cookies as Americans are familiar with them were actually discovered, as many good things are, by accident. Bakers would bake a small amount of cake batter as a test of oven temperature, and from that cookies were born. Today there is a huge variety of cookie available. Pretty much if you can eat it, it has ended up in some kind of cookie or biscuit. Others believe one of the first cookies originated in Rome. It was made of a paste of flour and water that was boiled then spread on a plate to dry. When it dried, it was then cut up and fried, then served with honey and pepper. This more closely resembles the little crispy snacks offered at Asian-themed restaurants than the gooey, cake-like treats most Americans are more familiar with.

Sometime during the 18th and 19th centuries cookies became a very popular item all across Europe as a sweet treat rather than soldier's rations. Some experts believe this is because cheap flour suddenly became available, but no one really seems to know for sure.

Cookies tend to be named by their main ingredient or by the way they are made. For example, pressed cookies are often made from some kind of pastry press, rolled cookies are rolled out with a rolling pin, and drop cookies are simply dropped by the spoonful onto cookie sheets. Chocolate chip drop cookies are probably one of the most popular cookies in America, and jam-filled press cookies being a holiday-favorite. There are also varieties such as no-bake cookies and ice box cookies popular at bake sales and for rainy afternoons when the children are home and bored.

However you love your cookies, the most important thing to remember is that cookies are very forgiving (maybe not on your waistline…), and welcome innovation. Get creative and see what kind of a tasty bit of history you can cook up!.